The Ludwig Collection: Europe’s Great Art Collectors in Cologne, Germany

Within the rich artistic legacy of Germany, the name “Ludwig” typically conjures images of the “Swan King,” Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm), King of Bavaria in the 19th century. Captured in the epic film Ludwig by the Italian master Luchino Visconti, Ludwig II, the great patron of the classical composer and renowned anti-Semite, Richard Wagner, was instrumental in developing the cultural heritage of Bavaria, exemplified in the Neuschwanstein Castle.

However, a century later, a new, perhaps even more grandiose and occasionally controversial Ludwig dynasty emerged to the north along the Rhine River in the city of Cologne, echoing the vision and boldness of contemporary art magnate Charles Saatchi in London. Peter Ludwig and his wife Irene dedicated much of their lives to amassing a voluminous art collection of 14,000 works that has been disseminated throughout the world in no less than 26 institutions.

Anchored by the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, the Ludwig collection features works ranging from Ancient Egypt and the Pre-Columbian Americas through Classical Greece and Rome to Picasso and American Pop art as well as Soviet Socialist Realism and East German art. Though some of the approaches of the Ludwigs in advancing art have come under question, within the historical context of Germany in the 20th century, they have been, indeed, instrumental and generous patrons, through their foundation, in supporting and dispersing cutting-edge art for the public to experience.

Who were the Ludwigs?

In embracing the avant-guard and taking risks with the evolution of the collection, the Ludwigs have sparked notice at various moments, where business, history, politics, art and ambition meet. Born into a prominent industrial family in Koblenz in 1925, Peter Ludwig met Irene Monheim, the heir to a chocolate-manufacturing interest, while both were studying art history at Mainz University.

While a student, Peter Ludwig observed a selection of paintings from the collection of Cologne attorney Dr. Josef Haubrich in 1946, including works by Marc Chagall and Otto Dix, among others, which inspired him to develop his own vision as a collector.

By 1969, he became chairman of his wife’s company – all the while, the couple, like the Menils, became world-class art benefactors. Most notably, the Ludwigs demonstrated foresight in their embrace of American Pop Art, chiefly Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. In fact, Warhol created several portraits of Peter Ludwig.

Recently, a confiscation resolution emerged over a Schiele painting in the Ludwig Museum that the city of Cologne seeks to approve the restitution of to the heirs of a Jewish dentist, who was the original owner. Based on the case, it should be noted that the painting was not acquired by the Ludwig family directly. Instead, the painting was donated to the city of Cologne in 1966, and subsequently consolidated into the Ludwig Museum collection. This case, coupled with other tenuous moments explored below, illuminate how the Ludwigs and their collection reflect both the splendor and intricacy of some of Europe’s great art collections of the 20th century. 

Ludwig Museum, Cologne

The Ludwig Museum in Cologne serves as the cornerstone of the family’s collection. Founded in 1976, based on a donation from the Ludwigs of 350 works of modern art, the institution features the largest collection of American Pop Art in Europe. In addition, the institution boasts a robust collection of Russian avant-garde from 1905 to 1935 as well as the third largest collection of Picasso in the world outside of those held in Barcelona and Paris.

Despite the contribution of the Ludwigs to the continued cultural and economic development of West Germany after World War II, Peter’s loyalty to the West was questioned when he championed greater cultural exchange with East Germany during the Cold War.

Specifically, at the time, he lent works by Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Lichtenstein from the Ludwig Museum, among others, to the East Berlin National Gallery, giving those living behind the Berlin Wall a rare opportunity to experience the modern art of the West at the time. The exchange, though, it should be noted, was allegedly linked to a distribution deal for his firm to supply chocolate to the East German military.

The Ludwig Museum in Cologne is located adjacent to the monumental Cathedral and Roman archaeological museum, and is easily reached by public transportation, taxi or pedestrian walkway from a selection of centrally located accommodation options.  

Mumok, Vienna

Down the Rhine and across the Danube rivers to the East, the Ludwigs were instrumental in cultivating the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (mumok) in Vienna, Austria. Highlights of the collection endowed by the Ludwigs include Warhol’s Orange Car Crash, in addition to works by Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Robert Indiana. In 2015, the institution held a special exhibition, entitled “Ludwig Goes Pop” featuring approximately 100 works from the Ludwig Pop Art collection.

The relationships between mumok and the Ludwigs began in 1977 with the Austrian Ludwig Foundation being founded in 1981, therein realizing greater donations to the institution over time. Situated in the museum quarter of the Austrian capital city, the collection is accessible seamlessly by taxi, public transportation and pedestrian paths from a bevy of choice hotels and accommodations. 

Ludwig Museum, Budapest

East along the Danube from Vienna to Budapest, the Ludwig Museum in the Hungarian capital captures both the complexity of the vision and curatorship of the Ludwigs in pushing art forward within the tumult of 20th century European history. Specifically, the museum in Budapest features two sculpture busts of Peter and Irene, completed by Arno Breker in 1987.

A close colleague of Albert Speer, Adolph Hitler’s chief architect and the only high-ranking Nazi to publicly demonstrate contrition for the atrocities of the regime, Breker was considered Adolph Hitler’s favorite sculptor, while Peter Ludwig considered him one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century, despite his affiliations with the Nazis.

Initially, controversy emerged a year earlier in 1986, when Peter Ludwig was heavily criticized for commissioning Breker to cultivate the busts of him and Irene to be housed in the Ludwig Museum in Cologne. Breker, prior to the Ludwig commission, had sculpted the esteemed poets Ezra Pound and Jean Cocteau. In addition to the busts by Breker, the museum houses Lichtenstein’s Vicki and Rauschenberg’s Shim. Centrally located steps from the Danube River on the Pest side of the city, the museum is expeditiously reached by taxi, public transportation and pedestrian pathways from a range of accommodation options.   

More from the Ludwigs

In addition to these three spaces, Peter and Irene Ludwig, prior to their passings in 1996 and 2010 respectively, and their foundation subsequently have established significant holdings within European museums, including, among others, the Museum of Asian Art in Cologne; the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin; the Kunstmuseum and Antikenmuseum in Basel, Switzerland; as well as further afield in St. Petersburg, Cuba and Beijing.

Ultimately, the breadth of the Ludwig legacy highlights the cultural contributions of the family to the city of Cologne and throughout the globe, while also demonstrating the challenges as well as sensitivity and responsibility needed in the quest for capturing an authentic picture of humanity, abounding both with joy and anguish, in the 20th century and beyond.

Cover photo: Thomas Robbin

[Written March 2021]